Bowness Pier to Near Sawrey and the Tarns

Bowness Pier to Near Sawrey Walk 4 (Hill Top - The House of Beatrix Potter) Walk 4A and the Tarns Walk 5 Belle Grange Yellow Dotted Line

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Route N D E R

Wise Een M Tarn E R E

Moss Eccles Tarn

Isle START Bowness Belle Pier 3

Far Ferry Sawrey House Near Sawrey (Hill Top)

Town End

As with walks 2 and 3 you need to cross the lake in order to reach Hill Top and therefore we refer you to details of ferry crossings in the opening paragraph of Walk 2.The traditional launch takes only 10 minutes from Pier 3 at Bowness to the other side and you will find the boat often combines with a bus service when you arrive at Ferry House. The bus from Ferry House takes a further 10 minutes to Hill Top before going on to Hawkshead and if you wish to travel this way we recommend you purchase a combined ticket. If you prefer to walk to Hill Top remember the road is narrow and dangerous in places and off road footpaths have been created for your safety and enjoyment so please use them where possible. Walking time approx. 45-50 minutes. For details of Hill Top see Page 38.

12 Walk 4 Ferry House to Hill Top - 45/50 minutes. 1 Disembarking from the passenger ferry or the car ferry walk past the public toilets - Bus stop is here - and follow the road around for 100 metres and look for the footpath on the right, yellow arrow and signed (Hill Top via Sawrey, Ash Landing, Claife Viewing Station). Walk on to a road and turn left - white arrow - walk around the corner and at the road juntion look for the footpath on the right with yellow arrow to Claife Viewing Station. Go on up towards the ruins of the station (see page 40) and turn left down the stepped path to Ash Landing to carry on walking through the car park. Follow the path upwards and straight on, after 200 metres it crosses the road and continues up on the other side until you reach the road again. 2 From the sign ‘Far Sawrey’ walk up the road for 150 metres to find the path again on the right. It is now straightforward and when you reach the highest level - ‘Sawrey Knotts’- you should be able to see the top of Coniston Old Man straight ahead. Keep straight on and follow the lane 3 down to meet the road by the Hotel. Hill Top is signed ‘ ⁄4 mile in next village’ but you can avoid the main road again if you turn down the road immediately opposite the Hotel and follow this until just before the large church on the hill you will find a path on the right through the fields which will take you a further 10 minutes gentle stroll to Hill Top and the Tower Bank Arms which is handy for refreshments. Hill Top to Ferry House Walk 4A - 45/50 minutes. 1 From the Bus Stop at Hill Top walk back past the house of Beatrix Potter and you will find the footpath 100 metres on the right signed to Ferry via Far Sawrey, after a short distance ignore the path on the left back to the road and walk on with the small stream on your left. When you reach the cottages with St Peter’s Church straight ahead turn left on the road and carry on past the farm buildings and fork right up the hill to join the main road opposite Hotel. Turn right and in 50 metres only the footpath forks left and you need to be 20 metres up the path in order to see the sign (do not follow the sign with blue arrow). 2 Walk Straight up past Sawrey Knotts and keep straight on and down until you meet the main road. Turn left and you will find the path 150 metres down on the right. Carry on and then cross the road, the path now on the left will lead through Ash Landing car park and upwards and on towards Claife Viewing Station. Turn right just before the ruins and down to meet the road. At the road fork left and the footpath is on the right in 50 metres to avoid the traffic. Ferry Details - refer to paragraphs 5-6 at the end of walk 3 page 11 .

13 Walk 5 Map Page 12 Hill Top, The Tarns and Claife Heights

1 A 3 ⁄4 Hours walk along Bridleways via Moss Eccles and Wise Een Tarns along forest paths to Claife Heights with views over the lake and finish at the Ferry.

1 From the bus stop at Near Sawrey walk along the road past Tower Bank Arms for 50 metres to turn right along the tarmac road and carry on past the Illingworth Cottages to join a bridleway. Turn left along the next bridleway, which joins from Far Sawrey. A 10-minute walk along this gradually ascending track will bring you to the first of the tarns, Moss Eccles, with its reed covered banks sheltering many species of water fowl.

Wise Een Tarn - Photo: M. A. Fleming 2 A further 10 minutes of similar terrain will bring you to Wise Een Tarn with the beautiful view across to the Langdale Pikes. Carry on between the tarns, the smaller tarn on the right is unnamed as far as we know, and ascend to a conifer plantation. Once into the plantation the path levels for a short distance before descending. Follow the yellow markers downhill gradually descending towards the lake.

14 3 After approximately 500 metres you arrive at a footpath junction. Continue downhill following the path to Belle Grange, then pass Scab Moss on your left. In another five minutes turn right following a sign to “Far Sawrey via Low Blind How”. This rough path meanders up hill for approximatly 1km. Carry on to the top of the hill, walking forward to the large rock to admire the view. Look left to see where the lake begins at Waterhead with Ambleside village beyond nestling in the valley below the Fairfield Horseshoe. As your eye moves right Wansfell and the Troutbeck valley stand out and then on to the villages of Windermere and Bowness so quiet and peaceful from here.

4 Now continue down along the path for another 1km until you join a forestry track which you follow for 20 minutes or so. In a cleared area follow the sign to Far Sawrey.

5 Soon the rough muddy path gives way to easier conditions and after about 10 minutes passes through a gate into open land, after some 800 metres this leads down to a junction of paths. Turn left and you are no longer following signs for Hill Top, Sawrey but now Windermere Lakeshore. In less than 5 minutes turn right at a sign “The Station and Ferry-link”.

6 You will come to the point of descent in approx. 10 minutes. The path zig zags steeply down to Claife Viewing Station (see page 40) walk through the restored ruin and turn left down to the road. At the road fork left and the footpath is on the right in 50 metres to avoid the traffic.

7 If the launch service is available you are advised to use it as it will take you directly to Bowness Bay.

8 If the launch service is not operating use the car ferry and after crossing over walk along the road and look for the path by the Lake Wardens and Public Slipway. A five minute walk leads directly to the Steamer pier.